sweet surrender?

What do you think of when someone uses this word? It is defined as “to give up completely or agree to forgo especially in favor of another “.

Surrender in a military situation “raises a white flag”.  It is the international symbol of capitulation. Surrender in business situations sound like hostile takeovers.

Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life has another view:

Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Psalm 37:7

Surrendering your life means:

• Following  God’s lead without knowing where he’s sending you;
• Waiting  for God’s timing without knowing when it will come;
• Expecting  a miracle without knowing how God will provide;
• Trusting God’s purpose without understanding the circumstances.

You  know you’re surrendered to God when you rely on God to work things out instead  of trying to manipulate others, force your agenda, and control the situation.  You let go and let God work. You don’t have to always be in charge. Instead of trying harder, you trust more.http://purposedriven.com/blogs/dailyhope/index.html?contentid=4332

The Temptations sang a song, Lady Soul, describing his willing surrender.

I’m ready to surrender, my love, lay it all in your hands, give you my forever, everything I am….cause you are my lady soul….my warm heart, when I grow cold. You are my life, you make me whole.

Spiritually, no action is more important than surrender. Surrender is the “tenderest impulse of the heart”, acting out of love to give whatever the beloved wants. Surrender is being alert to exactly what is happening now, not imposing expectations from the past. Surrender is faith that the power of love can accomplish anything, even when you cannot foresee the outcome of a situation.”

Surrender as a spiritual practice shows a depth of knowledge and understanding of yourself that is undeniable. It shows a care and compassion for the other person that is deep and meaningful. To be able to give up control shows a love of the other that sets you apart.  ( Deepak Chopra)

Sarah McLachlan, sings “Sweet Surrender” in which she states, “its all she has to give”.

Dido, sings “White Flag” in which she states, “she will go down with this ship, she won’t put her hands up and surrender, there will be no white flag above her door.”

I wonder who has the best idea.  Is surrendering your expectations and your desire to be in complete control actually more freeing? How can we ever control anything, anyway? Life is unexpected. Life is held together by surprises. The threads of life come unraveled and somehow the fabric shifts around to make it look new and different.

I think everyone remembers this hymn….”I Surrender All”. We sang it, do we live it??

Celine Dion sings “I Surrender” as if she believes in a 1000 dreams. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PFgbLnUcZE

A word, like surrender, has so many different connotations. Is it a sweet word? Or is it a painful word? Or is it a neutral word? We define what things mean to us. We decide if the ways we surrender to situations or people or higher powers or addictions or the flow of life serves us well or is upsetting. Make it a sweet experience. Don’t resist the inevitable. Embrace it. Remember the “Serenity Prayer”.

In his book Niebuhr recalls that his prayer was circulated by the Federal Council of Churches and later by the United States armed forces. Niebuhr’s versions of the prayer were always printed as a single prose sentence; printings that set out the prayer as three lines of verse modify the author’s original version.

The original, attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr, is:

God, give me grace to accept with serenity

the things that cannot be changed,

Courage to change the things

which should be changed,

and the Wisdom to distinguish

the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,

Enjoying one moment at a time,

Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,

Taking, as Jesus did,

This sinful world as it is,

Not as I would have it,

Trusting that You will make all things right,

If I surrender to Your will,

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,

And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

Like Rick and Reinhold have said so clearly, you don’t have to always be in charge. That sounds sweet, doesn’t it!!!